Small-group meetings have been underway between Hyundai-POSCO Louisiana Steel and Ascension Parish residents since December, even as community organizers say many residents are still working to understand what the proposed $5.8 billion steel facility would mean for their neighborhoods.
Hyundai-POSCO Louisiana Steel says it has held nearly a dozen of those sessions in Modeste—six over three days in December and four more across two days in February—with invitations mailed to every registered household in the RiverPlex MegaPark area. The company has also joined the West Ascension Community Advisory Panel, participating in bimonthly meetings with community representatives. Additional small-group meetings are planned, though dates have not yet been set. “HYUNDAI-POSCO Louisiana Steel is committed to transparency and open communication with the residents of Modeste, Donaldsonville, Ascension Parish and Louisiana,” the company said in a statement.
In late March, the Sierra Club’s Louisiana arm, the Delta Chapter, partnered with several organizations to host a separate informational fair and town hall. Angelle Bradford, organizer for the Sierra Club Delta Chapter, says the sessions revealed that many residents are still in the information-gathering stage rather than firmly for or against the project. “The biggest theme is just trying to cut through the confusion and trying to understand their power,” Bradford says.
Among the concerns most frequently raised were pollution, potential displacement and the cumulative environmental impact of multiple projects planned within the broader RiverPlex development area. Bradford says residents have also expressed skepticism about carbon capture technology and Hyundai’s timeline for transitioning to green hydrogen.
Earlier this month, a coalition including the Sierra Club Delta Chapter, United Steelworkers District 13 and the NAACP Louisiana State Conference sent an open letter to Hyundai Motor Company President and CEO José Muñoz requesting a direct meeting and the creation of a community benefits agreement. “We want to hear directly from the company to center the community in the conversations on their terms and their demands,” Bradford says.
On the question of displacement, Hyundai tells Ascension Business Report the State of Louisiana has already acquired all the land needed for the project and that any ongoing relocation efforts are unconnected to the steel facility. Residents with questions were directed to contact hyundaisteellouisiana@gmail.com.
The steel mill, which would be Hyundai Motor Group’s first U.S.-based steel facility, is expected to be operational in 2029. The plant is intended to supply steel sheets to Hyundai’s auto manufacturing operations in Alabama and Georgia, which together produce more than 600,000 vehicles annually.
Read a previous Ascension Business Report article on the Hyundai facility.
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